LiverKick - LiverKick

So a few months ago we heard news about the classic Jean-Claude Van Damme flick, "The Kickboxer" being remade with the likes of GSP, Dave "Batista" Bautista and Alain Moussi. Now we finally have more news about the flick, including a few big casting announcements that are a big deal for the martial arts world. We already knew that Alain Moussi would take the lead role of Kurt Sloan, who heads to Thailand to learn how to fight and avenge the tragic beathdown of his brother by the evil Tong Po.

We now know for sure that Batista, who is currently starring in Guardians of the Galaxy, will play the role of Tong Po. The recent additions to the cast are Scott Atkins of the Undisputed films fame (or lack thereof) and, yes, this is the big one, Tony Jaa. Tony Jaa set the world on fire with Ong Bak back in 2003, using a modified muay thai style, muay boran. Since then he's gone on to make a number of films that martial arts fans have salivated over (although Ong Bak 2 and 3 are pretty terrible). [source]

I feel like the title alone and how instrumental the Jean-Claude Van Damme movies were in the 80's into making Kickboxing a more popular sport here in the United States warrants coverage, but damn, they are remaking The Kickboxer. This is really a classic film in the world of martial arts, Kickboxing specifically. It featured Dennis Alexio as JCVD's brother, who was training and fighting in Thailand before he ran into the devious Thai Boxer Tong Po, who crippled him. This led JCVD on a mission of revenge and to learn Muay Thai.

What wasn't to like about it?

Now it looks like it is being remade with an interesting cast of characters to back it up. Alain Moussi will be the lead actor, best known for his marital arts-based stunt work in big budget films like Pacific Rim, White House Down, Brick Houses and many others. Hong Kong actor/producer/director Steven Fung will be directing the remake. It sounds like they change things up a little bit, with Eric (the Dennis Alexio character) being murdered by Tong Po, but hey, why not, right?

The film is also set to feature former UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St-Pierre as well as WWE wrestler Batista (Dave Bautista), although it isn't clear which roles they will play. I'd have to say that Batista would make for a convincing Tong Po, wouldn't you agree.?